2 Teens Bitten Before School Of 50 Sharks Closes Long Island Beach

Two teenagers were bitten at nearby beaches on Long Island before a school of about 50 sand tiger sharks were spotted and eventually led to a temporary closure, the New York Post reports.

A 15-year-old girl was reported to have been bitten on her leg at Robert Moses Beach and a 15-year-old boy was bitten by a shark while surfing off Fire Island hours apart on Monday (July 3). The school of sharks was spotted about 200 yards off Robert Moses Beach at around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday (July 4), prior to opening for the Fourth of July holiday.

Staff conducted a precautionary check of the waters, which resulted in a 90-minute delayed opening.

“There were about 50 sand sharks that we saw,” Long Island Parks Regional Director George Gorman told the New York Post. “Obviously, we did not open for swimming at 8 o’clock when lifeguards came on duty.”

The staff members monitored the school of sharks by using surveillance drones before deciding that the beach was safe to open at around 9:30 a.m., Gorman confirmed.

“Sand sharks are very common off of Long Island,” Gorman said, acknowledging that the presence of a large school of sharks wasn't unordinary, rather that sightings of “individuals are more common.”